Hard to say about Mrs. King. I know she shared Dr. King's stance on war, poverty and inclusion (she garnered the wrath of plenty Black, publicity pimp preachers (and others not quite in the publicity pimpin' business) regarding equal rights for the GLBT community not long ago). But I hesitate to say she would have spoken out about this. Simply because, hay gente - como Rev. Joseph Lowery who should know better, but seemed caught up in some Obama love.

He tried to stir some memories though as he ended his inaugural benediction with:

"Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right."

Every Black person knew what that was about - whites hadn't a clue.

It just struck me as more PTSD (post-traumatic slavery disorder) as does the Changeling's whole romp to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. If we are, in fact, truly free (why I asked you on the other post what freedom was for you) and white folks were so ready to elect a Black man, why couldn't he speak out about injustices disproportionately affecting our communities on the campaign trail?

Why didn't Lowery say the damn thing like it really went - all my life:

It could have been a teaching moment so whites could 1)know what the hell he was talking about and 2)get some perspective on how their garbage-in/garbage-out treatment of Blacks for all these damn years has affected how most Blacks look at themselves and them!

Instead, he engaged in the same old mask-wearing-House-Negro-we pulled-one-over-on-Massa behavior with a wink-and-a-nod to Black folks with this seemingly innocuous phrase, "...we ask you to help us work for that day when..." If he's asking for help to work for that day, sounds like code for, "Ya'll know we ain't there yet." "Free at last my ass!"

I know, I know - it wasn't "the time" for that. Couldn't have him up there "perfo-o-rmin' in front of all those white folks. I'm sure Harriet Tubman rolled right over in her grave.

"The whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than lie. I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant."

H.L. Mencken

"Black Panther Movie and our TV show with producers of Power on the Rise of Crack in America" from tonetalks